The miasma breath.
Even though humans had futuristic weapons with huge destructive power, some monsters had such ridiculous powers that they could eliminate bullets or rockets even before they could explode, disintegrating them to a molecular level. The only thing that could defend against such a magical attack was another magical attack, and those were the abilities of the Spirit Wielders or mages. This was also a great reason why they were so valuable and more assisted than other elites like Darius.
It’s time to leave.
No matter how much he wanted to face that monster, Darius was still just a human. And no matter how well he knew the weaknesses and behaviors of the monsters, he still needed to accept his weaknesses until he'd get to build himself stronger gadgets that would permit him to face such monsters even on his own.
-BOOM!-
However, the monster was not lenient enough to let Darius leave just like that.
With an earthshattering roar, the golem jumped high in the sky and landed on top of a building beside Darius’ car.
"Shit!"
The building exploded instantly, and a few smaller boulders even smashed his car, making him quickly dodge the larger, more dangerous ones that flew all over the place from the impact.
-CRASH!-
"…"
He glanced with a dark face at the boulder that fell through the car’s rooftop and right beside his seat, smashing the chair of the copilot. Coincidentally enough, that’s where the AM sonar was placed as well, now completely smashed to bits.
The car was armored and easily able to defend against such boulders. The fact that this one penetrated showed that it must’ve been infected by the golem’s direct miasma. It did have a sharper form as it got stuck inside the seat.
"I don't need more weight."
He opened the door and kicked out the whole chair as it was already detached, then also kicked the front smashed windshield, huge boulders rolling off the car’s front and ceiling. Thankfully, he was wearing his gas mask as the air was now polluted with dust and particles of sand, making everything especially harder to discern through the thick cloud.
Dodging with both skills and incredible luck the large boulders that continued to roll or fly from his side, he was able to get out on the wide road and then floor the acceleration.
Sure enough, if it were a normal car, Darius would’ve been dead long ago, as whole tons of concrete and iron have crashed on top and sides of the car, denting it all over.
Another flash attracted his attention from behind inside the thick cloud, and he quickly pulled on the wheel, taking a quick turn and dogging another beam that cut through the ground beside his car in but a flash.
"That persistent bastard."
The monster was quick and instantly started rushing towards Darius, the distance between them closing up by the second. Seeing a four- to five-story-tall monster rush at him with its mouth wide open and flashing a gray-purple light, anyone would feel their backs turn cold and sweaty.
Already cornered, Darius decided to drop outside his window 1 brick of C4 together with three grenades, those also being his last explosives. After that, he looked through the mirror and waited to press the wireless button connected to the C4, timing it with when the gorilla was about right above it.
Now.
He pressed the button and floored the acceleration once again. A great cloud of dust rose up, and the golem roared furiously, its rear limbs being pulverized.
"Great!"
The small legs of the monster were the golem’s weakness, and Darius intentionally targeted those, not necessarily to hurt it but to slow it down and get enough time to escape.
Even if he were to stop now and take out his anti-tank sniper, he would need about five rounds just to take out its vision by breaking its head, then another ten or so to reach its core. And for sure, it would be great if the golem was dumb enough to just stay still and get shot at, but that was already wishful thinking, and Darius knew better than anyone else when to fight and when to run when it came to such titans of the fields.
In a straight line, Darius floored the acceleration and went down the main road while the golem’s vision was still disturbed by the thick cloud of dust when-
-BZZT!-
Not even 1 meter away from his car, a beam of gray-purple light scarred the road and left a cut for hundreds of meters. His face was calm, but his forehead was sweating bullets as he just dodged death, for God knows how many times this day alone.
"Pfuu~…. Fuck…!"
His heart was beating out of his chest while his grip on the wheel already formed dents on it, barely able to open his clenched fists.
Damn’ it… I’m tired of this shit! Just how many more years do I have to do all of this?!
He slammed the steering wheel out of frustration with both his limited abilities and the dangerous situations he inevitably finds himself in. He wanted to abandon all that he knew, find the farthest corner of the Earth, and hide out there until the end of the world arrived there, too, in a tiny hut where he could live on his own and yet enjoy the sun.
For how long will I have to go through all this anxiety, stress, fear, and pain? Do I really have to stress over the fact that people will die? Why not just leave the heroes to do their own thing and just stay low? And what if people die for nothing?! I have my own life to worry about, damn’ it!
However, just as his revolting feelings started to overwhelm him, a wave of guilt stabbed at his heart while memories from his past life filled his mind.
.
P-please… spare my child…!
Pfft, your crying face makes me crack. I wonder how you’ll react if I dismantle your baby in front of you?
This was a moment when Darius invaded the southern city and found a mother with her child who had no time to evacuate the area, being caught by the demonic forces.
Darius, who was insane after getting corrupted, showed his sadistic characteristics by easily killing people for his own amusement. This time, he tortured a child in front of his mother to the point where she shed blood. After two hours of playing around, Darius got bored and just killed them both by smashing their heads with his feet.
.
Stop! I won’t let you take a step further!
You and what army?
This was another moment when a soldier tried to protect a group of civilians composed of both the elderly and children. Feeling bored again, Darius’s mana glove shone with a red color as he prepared a fire spell.
You know, I really feel like seeing someone dancing right now.
Y-you…
Terror was visible in everyone’s eyes as Darius released a wave of fire over everyone present, the fire being weak enough to let them burn for a long time while they desperately tried to put out the fire, only to be set aflame again by Darius. While laughing and shouting, dance! Dance! Darius continued to observe this unfold.
.
"…"
Remembering just a few instances when his insanity manifested, Darius felt like just making an 180 and turning back to the golem to die fighting it.
I deserve it… I deserve it all!
Self-hatred and regret made him feel like his heart was about to explode, gritting his teeth to the point where blood started to flow out of his gums.
"Fucking… piece of… trash…!"
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
Most of his memories from when he was a demon lord were forgotten, but there were times when such memories would resurface right when he was thinking of leaving it all behind and forget, making his heart shake, almost making him tear up in anguish.
It’s like something or someone won’t let me forget. It’s like I’m forever cursed to suffer until I right all the wrongs I’ve done!
"Haah, haah, haah…"
Breathing with difficulty and sweating profoundly, Darius tried to calm down as he was still speeding down a damaged road, now needing to also dodge monsters that appeared now and then to stop him.
"I fucking hate it…"
Sighing out as to calm down his tensed-out mind, he continued on while cooling down and hardening his heart once again, his despairing eyes now glowing with firmness and cold indifference.
.
"Oy… Do you see that?"
"That’s… a bandit’s car?"
"The flag’s ripped, and the symbol has been brushed off by a knife... I guess it’s the car of a defeated squad of bandits."
"That aside… Just how is that armored car still working?"
Squads from other military groups that waited on standby at the border looked baffled at the destroyed bandits’ car that just parked on the usual parking lots for those who prepared to adventure within the danger zone.
From between the crowd, one man angrily walked closer to the dent and broken vehicle that was already releasing smoke, waiting with his arms crossed for the black armored man inside to get out.
"You! Identify yourself!"
The man with the squadron leader's badge shouted at Darius before he even had a chance to get out of the car. Even so, the badge was made of bronze, showing that he was a simple human as well.
Not saying a word as he closed the door, he just threw his badge at the man and went to the back of his car, placing everything in order to exchange at SAA for more cash.
"… A mercenary? What. You finished working as a bandit and decided to turn into a mercenary? You think you can just do that-?!"
He looked up from Darius’ badge only to see him right in front of him, his usual sharp glare making the man twitch. Darius then just showed him his phone’s screen, where a picture of the burnt and dead corpses of more bandits and destroyed cars was visible. The man’s face turned pale from suddenly being shown such grotesque images.
"W-what…?"
"Now that we’re clear, better stop running your mouth. I’m tired and have no time to deal with you. It was a long ass day."
Saying only this much, Darius turned and walked towards the SAA building that was nearby. The man looked at his hands, and even the mercenary badge was missing. He understood that Darius must’ve snatched it back when he was showing the images.
He wanted to run his way and complain some more, but then a sudden thought struck him as he turned and looked again at the car. Continuing to look, he observed that there was nobody else inside, understanding that he must’ve been alone. This thought alone made the man’s eyes open wide in shock.
Are you telling me he dealt with that many bandits on his own? No… Maybe his squad members died on mission...
If he did it alone, then this proved his ability and made him someone not to mess with even as a squad. If he did it with a squad and ended up as the sole survivor, then it was an even better idea to leave him alone, as his mind surely wasn’t in the best condition at the moment, with the possible trauma making him unstable and unpredictable.
Yeah… better leave that bastard alone...
Reaching this conclusion, the man just sighed and turned around, leaving without starting anything further.
.
Darius entered the building and, just like always, waited in line to talk with a receptionist. When it was finally his turn, he placed his bag filled with flags and badges of bandits, also placing his phone on the table.
"I’m here for whatever bounty there might be on the two groups of bandits. I was able to get rid of a few on the way. Here is the proof."
He placed more ripped badges and his phone on the table, and a familiar voice attracted his attention.
"Oh my, you keep on bringing more surprises, mister mercenary~."
"… Weren’t you at the hospital?"
Lily Rosaria, who leaned on her hand with a beautiful smile, looked at Darius enchantingly while behind the counter. Beside her was a young girl with a troubled smile on. She obviously took her seat after seeing Darius waiting in line. Most likely, she was waiting for him here from the beginning.
Hearing his question, she got up and tilted her head calmly while shrugging one of her shoulders with a relaxed smile.
"You’re not the only one who decided to use healing serums to get out faster from the hospital."
Unlike Darius, who was a human, Lily was a mage, able to use serums without suffering any side effects. She had no problem using such otherwise dangerous things to heal herself and get back to work.
"Are you telling me you wasted about 5k rozoni just to get to work faster? Aren’t you a committed one?"
"I don’t want to hear that from you. Rushing straight into the field and fighting against both humans and monsters, not even waiting to get your reward."
"… Reward?"
"I thought you’d be interested in that."
Seeing his frozen expression, Lily chuckled as she placed a sheet of paper on the table for Darius to read.
It was nothing spectacular, just a sheet of paper with some calculus on it. However, the numbers themselves were what left Darius wide-eyed.
[The reward for saving the hotel residents: ----- 28.6 Mill.
Reward for 26 low-tier monster bodies: ---------26k.
Reward for 26 low-tier monster crystals:---------73k.
Reward for 5 mid-tier monster bodies:-----------10k.
Reward for 5 mid-tier monster crystals:----------25k.
Reward for 1 high-tier monster body:-------------4k.
Reward for 1 high-tier monster crystal:-----------10k
TOTAL: 28.748.000 Rozoni]
T-twenty millions……
Darius’ eyes shook, and he felt like his knees were going weak. However, on the surface, he was simply frozen, looking at Lily confused then back at the piece of paper.
While trying to keep his calm, he spoke out, his voice still shaking ever so slightly.
"J-just what… is this?"
"What do you mean what? It’s your reward, obviously. You saved more than a hundred fat pockets from that hotel of terror, you know?"
"I know... and I also know of their greed when it comes to money. I expected at most just some letters of Thank You used for campfire."
"And that’s exactly what they wanted to do. But I made sure to first make them a good promotion on camera."
Lily chuckled like the devil, and Darius felt like he could understand what she meant by that.
Sure enough, after all the chaos that happened, being an administrator at the SAA company, Lily was the easiest to contact from among all the victims that were present at that time, and she was also the first. They even rushed inside the hospital to contact her, and what left everyone baffled was how easily she dealt with the problem, accepting the interviews and telling everyone with a sweet smile on her face "how honored she felt for assisting the great hero (Darius) in saving everyone who said that they'd donate at least 10.000 rozoni each for having their lives saved by him." Obviously, the rich people who heard of this had their fists clenched while smiling as if constipated, but they couldn’t simply refuse and destroy their own image, for a mere 10k rozoni no less. Even so, there were some who wholeheartedly offered the money without minding, while others decided to even add a bonus or send gifts, later sold by Lily for money, knowing that Darius would prefer cash anyway.
"…."
Darius looked baffled at Lily, who helped him greatly behind the corners, and then asked confusedly while looking at the piece of paper.
"The reward aside, isn’t the price for the monster crystals too much? Some of them were corrupted. And also, there’s a higher monster on the list. I’m pretty sure I didn’t kill it, as the army was the one to take it out."
"Hahaha~ don’t worry about that. I made sure to talk with them as well."
She was obviously pissed only by thinking about it.
The Blue Spark Army initially wanted to offer Darius only the crystals of the monsters he killed, obviously leaving the hydra aside. But Lily was the first to object, as she adamantly negotiated everything with them for Darius, not sparing them even a low-tier monster’s body and also making them write on the report that the hydra’s crystal wasn’t damaged, offering a full 10k rozoni for a crystal that was halfway cracked, that one normally being only half-price. She used the fact that the army let a group of monsters attack the hotel as a sharp weapon against them while she negotiated the price, not sparing them a penny.
Both the Social Assistance Agency and the Blue Spark Army took blows from her bargaining, while the only one who actually won was Darius, who had no idea of everything that happened.
"Hmmm…"
Feeling a bit overwhelmed by all of this, Darius looked at Lily with conflicted feelings while she smiled sweetly as she just answered,
"Don’t worry, I don’t expect a reward or anything like that. I just want you to understand that I’m your ally. I also dealt with your request for the data collection. Here’s your ID to enter the BSA HQ base in the Eastern City, so you could send the videos yourself.
She handed him a card on which his profile was shown. He sighed, then asked directly,
"Where are the money?"
"Sigh~ I knew you’ll ask that."
Although she expected the question, she felt a bit disappointed for not receiving at least a thank-you.
She then invited him behind the counter and inside a room that was normally only for staff members, where she asked him to take a seat.
She grabbed two suitcases and opened them right there, showing more than 100k of pieces of paper in each suitcase, each banknote valuing 100 rozoni.
"Here is your money."
"Which one has more?"
"This one has 14.5 million, while the other has the rest of 14.348.000 rozoni. But why?"
"Alright. I’ll take this one."
Darius grabbed the one with less rozoni then emptied the backpack and turned to leave.
"I will leave these things here. You can keep the bounty and whatever else money is to get out of all that. If you really want the rest of the pictures to show how many bandits died, then you can give me your number later. As for the other presents from those rich people, you can keep them. The amount here is enough for me."
"Oho~?"
This time it was Lily’s turn to look surprised, while Darius left with only one suit case. She then quickly got up and shouted at his back.
"Hey! Why are you leaving while we’re still talking?! And are you sure about this-"
"Keep it. If not for you, all of this would’ve been inexistent."
"… So that’s how you say Thank you. My~ how charming."
She shook her head and looked at the suitcase, and while singing a happy tune, she closed it and walked out of the room as well.
.
My greatest obstacle (lack of money) vanished just like that. Now I need to focus on my laboratory and build my gear. The first hero that will appear will do so in one more month. Sora, on the other hand, will appear in two more months, as she’ll appear in this Eastern City. Meanwhile, I should focus on gathering as much data as possible. While at it, also continue detecting and lowering the number of cultists inside the coalition’s ranks.
He left the car unlocked and only took the rest of the orbs with his anti-tank sniper. He walked towards a bus station where an army bus was stationed. He embarked on it and waited for it to start, everything becoming clearer and clearer in his mind.